Dresser Denial

Once upon a time (ahem--many a month ago) I stumbled upon my favorite
 ANTIQUE HEADBOARD...

Remember?

The very headboard that anchors our NEW GUEST ROOM...

My dear headboard was advertised on Craigslist as part of a larger set of furniture: 1 headboard, 1 dresser and 1 mirror.  The list price was absolutely fabulous, but I really had no need for anything more than just that charming headboard. But when I asked the seller if he would be willing to sell me only the headboard, he said...

NO--boo hoo...

And since I am the worst not the greatest negotiator in the world, I told the seller that I would take the whole set anyway...

Yep! The whole thing--even the dresser and the mirror that I did not need (or have a place for). So, I prepared my little speech that I would use to explain to my sweet Reading Guy what on Earth I needed all of this furniture for...

And in all fairness, I must say that the Reading Guy never even bats an eye when told (and he is told on a rather regular basis) about my latest Craigslist/makeover investments. I think that I just relish any opportunity to present a case--state my position and support it with all sorts of clever logic and relentless argumentative charm...
So this is what I went to law school for :oP

Needless to say, the Reading Guy was on board with my latest acquisitions and we lugged our new furniture set home and into our garage where everything but the headboard lay gathering dust for several months some time...

It bears mentioning that I am somewhat averse to dressers. Oh yes--one can be averse to dressers!
We don't have a dresser in our bedroom, or in any of our guest rooms...

I really couldn't tell you why, I suppose it is just a personal preference...

So, week after week, as the Reading Guy and I worked on countless other projects, my poor unappreciated dresser seemed to wait patiently for the day that I would realize how much I loved and needed a dresser in our home...

Especially one with water damage...

Questionable drawer quality...

 And as if that weren't enough to test my design patience--its dark oak hued veneer was all but begging for some lightening up ...

Until one day the proverbial light bulb went off in my head and I realized that my dresser was having a serious identity crisis...

And I was in serious dresser denial,
because this dumpster-bound, nearly rejected little dresser was not a dresser at all!

This was a French Antique Buffet in waiting...

And by "in waiting," I largely mean that I had been waiting to find the perfect buffet to makeover on Craigslist--in my day dreams, it looked something along these lines...

Thankfully, what I was so desperately searching for had been right in front of my eyes all along...

Well, slightly hidden behind lots of other junk potential treasures in the garage!

I apologize in advance for the poor picture quality in all "during" photos. I tackled this transformation throughout the course of one evening resulting in not-so-great pictures of the process, but hopefully the final product will more than make up for it!

So, I began this makeover by adding some French appeal--curvy legs, of course...

Then I stumbled upon some simple wood trim in our garage and figured--why not?

So I cut and attached the thin trim to both side panels with wood glue 

(no time to waste on proper pre-drilling and nailing for this Reading Girl)... 

And just filled in any awkward angles with wood filler...

And it turns out that this frugal fix made all the difference...

See?

Oh, and I even added a carved upgrade that I like to think of it as a sideboard skirt of sorts...

Then of course I continued with sanding and priming...

And then I painted most of the piece in a light French Grey that I mixed myself...

With all trim...

Carved detail...

And the entire top surface painted in a very subtle contrasting antique white...

Even the insides of all drawers were painted--
They were in such a terrible state, that it was absolutely necessary...

Spare use of glaze and not so spare use of a sanding block for distressing were, of course, in order...

And I even recycled the formerly dulled bronze/brass drawer pulls with a fresh coat of spray paint and some distressing...

And VOILA...

My faux French find was unrecognizably transformed...

From top...

To bottom...

And so was our dining room...

It is amazing what a dolled up, $30 antique dresser (although it is NOW PRICELESS, TO US) can do for a room!

So, if ever there was an example of not judging a book/old dresser by its cover...

Wouldn't this be it?!?!

I hope that this tale of a dresser in denial will help you to look at those otherwise seemingly unsalvageable pieces in an entirely different light...

On another note, I plan on overcoming my recent and rather embarrassing bout with procrastination so that I can share my next project with you--trust me, you won't want to miss it! If you are the proud owner of  WAY TOO MUCH jewelry, sunglasses, scarves, and accessories in general...

I think you'll find it difficult to resist our home's latest design addition--
So I hope you'll stay tuned!

Thanks for visiting :o)

XOXO,